DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (July 21, 2023) – For the eighth year, Mercy College Athletics will recap the year by counting down the Top-10 most memorable moments of the 2022-23 season, with all 10 sports represented.
Mercy College Athletics will release a Top-10 moment, as chosen by the athletics staff, with a recap every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next four weeks, culminating with the top moment from the 2022-23 athletic year being unveiled on Monday, July 31st.
No. 5 – Women's Basketball Wins Most Games Since 1989 and Hosts First-Ever ECC Tournament Game
Coming in at No. 5 in our 2022-23 Top-10 Moments is women's basketball who won their most games since 1989 and hosted their first-ever ECC Tournament game.
The Mavericks entered the 2022-23 season with high hopes after a historic 2021-22 season. Head Coach Scott Lagas and the Mavericks would make even more history in 2022-23 with several milestones being broken during the season.
Mercy was picked fourth in the ECC Preseason Poll and senior Katie Wall was tabbed ECC Preseason Player of the Year. The Mavericks were picked fourth after going 11-16 in 2021-22, qualifying for the ECC Tournament for the second straight year.
Lagas and the Mavericks opened their 2022-23 season on November 11th with a 77-63 win over American International. Mercy won their season opener for the first time since 2017 and defeated the Yellow Jackets for the first time in program history. Sophomore Kayla Halvorsen had a career-high 26 points in the win and Wall added 16 points.
Wall had a team-high 15 points the next day against Saint Michael's, but the Mavericks dropped a 73-64 decision to fall to 1-1 on the year. Following the opening weekend of games, Wall was named to the ECC Honor Roll.
The Mavericks dropped their second game in a row on November 16th to Caldwell, falling 57-48, to drop to 1-2 on the year. Senior Kellie Nudd had a team-high nine points in the loss. Mercy got back to their winning ways on November 19th when they earned a 59-44 win over Wilmington in their home opener. Graduate student Taysha Bender had a game-high 20 points and Wall had 17 points as Mercy won their home opener for the second straight season.
Mercy made it two wins in a row and moved to 3-2 on the year following a 67-59 win at Bridgeport on November 22nd. Wall had a game-high 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting and freshman Angelina Barrera added 12 points and eight rebounds. The Mavericks at 3-2 were off to their best five-game start since 2014.
The Mavericks battled 2023 NCAA Tournament participant Assumption on November 27th, but lost 64-49, to fall to 3-3 on the year. Wall and Nudd both had a team-high-tying 11 points. After the week of games, Wall was named to the ECC Honor Roll again.
Lagas and the Mavericks opened ECC play on November 30th at Staten Island and dropped a 71-67 decision to fall to 3-4 on the year. Senior Asha Talib had a game-high 15 points and graduate student Sara Hopkins had 13 points. Mercy regrouped on December 3rd and earned an 84-75 win over District of Columbia to move to 4-4 on the year. Bender scored a career-high 30 points on 11-of-22 shooting and Nudd had 17 points in the win. Following the win, Bender was named to the ECC Honor Roll and MBWA Division II-III Player of the Week Honorable Mention.
Mercy faced Chestnut Hill on December 6th and despite Wall recording her 1,000th career point the Mavericks fell 55-46 to fall to 4-5 on the year. Wall became the 20th student-athlete in program history to reach the milestone. Bender netted her 1,000th career point in the Mavericks 49-43 win over D'Youville on December 9th, becoming the 21st Maverick to reach the mark. Bender had a team-high 12 points and Wall added 10 points in the win. Mercy concluded the busy week with a hard-fought 78-62 loss to No. 7/13 Daemen on December 11th. Bender had a game-high 22 points in the loss as Mercy fell to 5-6 overall and 2-2 in ECC play. Following the three-game week, Bender was named to the ECC Honor Roll.
The Mavericks returned to the win column on December 18th with a 68-58 win over Goldey-Beacom in Dobbs Ferry. Wall and Bender combined for 37 points in the win as Mercy moved to 6-6 overall in their final game of 2022. Following the win over the Lightning Wall was tabbed ECC Defensive Player of the Week.
After an exhibition against Sacred Heart to conclude 2022, the Mavericks played at Alliance in their first game of 2023 on January 2nd. Wall had a game-high 22 points and five steals as Mercy cruised to a 67-55 win to move to 7-6 for the second straight season.
Mercy moved to two games over .500 at 8-6 following a 54-46 win over Roberts Wesleyan on January 6th. The win moved the Mavericks to 3-2 in ECC play and Mercy was led by Bender who had a game-high 16 points. The Mavericks capped off the week with a 60-46 win over Bloomfield on January 8th to move to 9-6 for the second consecutive season and extend their winning streak to four games. The win was Mercy's first win over Bloomfield since 2017. Wall had a game-high 15 points in the win and Barrera added 12 points. Following the three wins that week, Wall was named to the ECC Honor Roll.
The Mavericks faced a tall task in their next game, playing at ECC preseason favorite St. Thomas Aquinas on January 11th. The Spartans were ranked sixth in the East Region and had not lost to Mercy in Sparkill since 1985. Wall had a game-high 23 points and junior Maria Tedesco scored the go-ahead basket with 38 seconds left to give Mercy a 64-57 win over the Spartans. The win moved Mercy to 10-6 overall and 4-2 in ECC play. The win was Mercy's first at St. Thomas Aquinas since 1985 and the Mavericks now had double-digit wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons.
Following the win over STAC, Mercy received votes in the D2SIDA East Region Poll for the first time this season. Wall and Bender were also named to the ECC Honor Roll. Mercy extended their winning streak to six games on January 18th with a 52-46 win at Molloy. The win moved the Mavericks to 11-6 overall and 5-2 in ECC play. Mercy was off to their best 17-game start since the 1985-86 season and matched their win total from all last year. Nudd had a game-high 15 points and Wall recorded 14 points in the win.
A team-high 15 points from Wall helped lead the Mavericks to their seventh straight win with a 50-48 win over Queens on January 21st. Mercy improved to 12-6 overall and 6-2 in ECC play with the win and the Mavericks now had their most wins in a season since the 1996-97 season. Following the win over Queens, Mercy moved into the top 10 of the D2SIDA East Region Poll for the first time in program history. Wall was also named to the ECC Honor Roll.
Mercy continued to roll, earning their eighth straight win with a 51-36 win over Staten Island on January 25th. Barrera had a game-high 14 points and 11 rebounds and Nudd had 11 points in the win. Mercy won eight games in a row for the first time since the 1984-85 season and the 36 points allowed were the fewest surrendered in a game since 2007. It was also the fewest points allowed to an ECC opponent since 1997.
The Mavericks sat at 13-6 overall and 7-2 in ECC play following their eight-game winning streak. The streak would come to an end on January 28th with District of Columbia earning an 86-65 win over the Mavericks. Following the game, Barrera was named to the ECC Honor Roll.
Lagas and the Mavericks quickly bounced back on February 4th with a 76-68 come-from-behind victory at Roberts Wesleyan. Bender, Wall, and Barrera combined for 52 points in the win as Mercy moved to 14-7 overall and 8-3 in ECC play. The Mavericks won at Roberts Wesleyan for the first time in program history and swept the season series with the Redhawks for the first time. The 14 wins were now the most in a season since the 1988-89 season. Mercy also secured their first winning record in the regular season since the 1996-97 season.
Mercy made it 10 wins in their last 11 games with a 65-53 win over first-place St. Thomas Aquinas on February 8th in front of a packed crowd at the Neil Judge Student Athlete Center. Wall had a career-high 31 points in the win as Mercy moved into a three-way tie for first place in the ECC standings. The Mavericks also swept the season series with the Spartans for the first time since the 1975-76 season. Following the big win over STAC, Wall was named ECC Player of the Week.
Bender scored a team-high 12 points on February 17th at D'Youville, but the Mavericks fell 68-49, to see their two-game winning streak come to an end. Two days later sophomore Jaclyn Stanavich scored a career-high 18 points, but it was not enough as Mercy lost to Daemen, 69-59. Following the pair of losses, Mercy sat at 15-9 overall and 9-5 in ECC play.
Lagas and the Mavericks returned home for Senior Night on February 22nd against Molloy where they honored seniors Bender, Wall, Nudd, Briana Barnard, Hopkins, and Brianne Santos. The seniors combined for 41 points as the Mavericks earned a 59-48 win over Molloy to move to 16-9 overall and 10-5 in ECC play. Mercy swept the season series with the Lions for the first time since 2001 and earned their first home win over Molloy since 2011. The Mavericks also now had their most ECC wins in a season since 1997.
Mercy concluded the regular season with a 66-52 win over Queens on February 25th with Nudd scoring a season-high 23 points in the win. The Mavericks swept the season series against Queens for the first time since 2012 and ended the regular season 17-9 overall and 11-5 in ECC play. The 17 wins were the most in a season for Mercy since 1989 and the 11 ECC wins were the most since 1997. The Mavericks' third-place finish in the ECC standings was the highest finish in program history. Mercy earned the No. 3 seed in the ECC Women's Basketball Championship and would host No. 6 seed Queens on March 1st in their first-ever home ECC playoff game.
Wall had a team-high 13 points and Stanavich had 11 points as Mercy dropped a hard-fought 57-52 decision to Queens in the First Round of the ECC Tournament and their first-ever home ECC Tournament game. The Mavericks ended the season 17-10 with their most wins since 1989 and their highest winning percentage since 1986.
After a successful season, the awards began to come in as Wall was named First Team All-ECC and Bender was tabbed Second Team All-ECC. Wall was also named First Team All-Met and Bender was tabbed Second Team All-Met. The team also excelled in the classroom with Bender, Hopkins, Tedesco and Halvorsen being named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District.
The 2022-23 season proved to be a historic one for the Mavericks and under Lagas' leadership Mercy looks to improve that success in the 2023-24 season.
Schedule for the Top-10 Moments of the 2022-23 Season
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next four weeks, the Mercy College Athletic Department will release the Top-10 moments one at a time beginning with the No. 10 moment on Monday, July 10th. The No. 1 moment will be unveiled on Monday, July 31st.
No. 1 – July 31st
No. 2 – July 28th
No. 3 – July 26th
No. 4 – July 24th
No. 5 – July 21st
No. 6 – Volleyball Posts First Winning Season Since 2005 and Qualifies for ECC Tournament
No. 7 – Field Hockey Posts First Winning Season in Program History
No. 8 – Baseball Qualifies for ECC Tournament for Third Straight Year and Wins First ECC Tournament Game Since 2010
No. 9 - Softball Qualifies for ECC Tournament for Third Straight Year
No. 10 – Men's Basketball Sweeps Bridgeport for First Time Since 2005
